Device for feeding cotton, &amp;c.



J. C. POTTER. DEVICE Foa FBEDING COTTON, aw. APPLICATION FILED DEG. 28l 1910.

1,076,059, Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

2 BHEETS-SHEET l.

J. C. POTTER. DEVICE FOR PEEDING COTTON. 62C. APPLICATION FILED DBG. ya, 1910,

1,076,059, .Patented 061;. 21, 1913.

2 SHEETSHSHBRT 2.

V Cl; I 'nim i Il* um yy' JAMES CHARLES POTTER, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

DEVICE FOR FEEDING COTTON, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

Application filed December 28, 1910. Serial No. 599,771.

To all 'whomy it may concern Be it known that I, J AMES C. Po'rrnn, of Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new: and useful Improvement in Devices for Feeding Cotton, Src., and do hereby declare that the following is a full,Y

clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention more particularly is to provide a feeding mechanism or device for carrying cotton to openers or to bins which vwill do the work efficiently and whose construction and operation will be simple and more satisfactory than are devices or mechanisms for the same purpose may be delivered to the respective bins or machines. To effect the delivery of cotton to any one of the bins or machines, except the last one of the series, the practice has been to reverse the direction of travel of the far apron of the aprons adioining at the point where delivery is to take place so that the onward movement of the cotton by one apron will be opposed by the reverse travel vof the other apron, and thus the discharge .of the cotton produced. By my invention I,

avoid the necessity of the objectionable"- reversal of the travel of the aprons so that the aprons at all times move in the same direction.

1n theaccompanyina' drawings-Figure 1 is a top plan view of an over-head cotton feeder embodyingmy invention; Fig. 2 a view of the same, parts beine;` in side elevation and parts being in section illustrating it in connection with a series of opener ma chines; Figs. 3 and 4 are det-ail views of the mechanism situated between the aprons for effecting the delivery of cotton therefrom; Fig. 5 a detail view showinq an end elevation of the feeder and a portion of an opener and illustrating somewhat diagrammatically the automatic means for the control of the feeder from the opener.

The aprons 10 may be of the usual slat or lattice type, each at opposite ends being supported by rollers 11, one of which in the case of each apron is a driving roller to which motion is imparted by gearing consisting of a bevel gear 12 on the roller shaft situated at one side of the horizontal series of aprons so that power may be taken therefrom to drive all the aprons continuously in the same direction, the parts being supported by a suitable frame 14 above the bins or. machine to which the cotton is to be delivered or fed.

I illustrate my Vinvention for delivering cotton to a series of openers 15, the receiving hoppers of which are situated directly beneath the adjacent ends of an adjoining pair of aprons, said ends being spaced apart to receive a roller 16 supported by the frame 14, parallel with the apron rollers with a sufiicient space between said roller and an apron to porn/lit the downward passage therebetween of cotto-n when it is to be dea livered to the machine below. The roller 16 is a very light one and preferably con structed of Wood, although, if desired, it may he constructed of other material, and gearing is provided by which it may be revolved in either direction. at will, its revolu` tion in the same direction as the roller aprons permitting the cotton to pass onward over it, while its revolution in the opposite direction arrests the onward passage of the cotton and causes it to pass downward between it and. the near end of the apron which is moving it onward. A convenient arrangement of gearing for each roller 16 is that shown in the drawings which consists of two loose gears 17 on the roller shaft, either of which, at will, may be `clutched to the shaft, and one of which meshes with a driving: gearing 18 on the shaft of the apron- 'driving roller, while the other meshes with a gear 19 that in turn meshes with a gear 20 on the apron driving roller shaft, so that it will be seen power is taken from the apron driving roller shaft to revolve the intermediate roller 1G in either direction. The clutch for connecting either of the loose gears to the shaft. or roller 16 may be of any desired construction. The two ,gears 17 are slidable on their shaft 1.70 between two similar collars 21, each gear 17 having' on its outer sides lugs 171 adapted to interlock with projections 172 on the adjacent* collar, the lugs 171 of one lgear being: out of engagement with its collar 2l when the other gear 7 is in position to have., its lugs engage with its collar. l i

In thedelivery of cotton'to machines, it is desirable to have the feed controlled automatically, and 1, therefore, illustra-te in the drawings mechanism by which the gear connection is automatically' shifted. Engaging and playing between the two gears 17 is a disk 22 having a cam form corresponding t-o the section of a screw or helix which is on a shaft 220 having on its outer end a belt olle Y '221 from which a bolt- 222 runs to a pulley 223 on the shaft QZel on which the gear wheels 18 and 2O are mounted, so that motion may be transmitted from the pulley 223 to the'pnlley 2.21 and thereby the cam disk 22() revolved Ato cause the bodily lateral shifting of the gear wheels 17. Ot' course. the shaft 220 is not continuously revolved and is only revolved intermittently and through a halt' revolution at a time when the reversal of the rotation of the roller 16 is to take place,`the shaft Q20 being at all other times held against rotation and the belt 222 being allowed to travel Widelv around the pulley 2:21. As clearly shown in Figs, 3 and 4, a detent or stop device in the form of an escapement is provided which comprises an escape lever and a tooth i226 on the side of the cam dist which tooth 2226 at one limit of a halt' revolution is detained or locked by the escape lever hook 227 and at the other limit of a half revolution by the stop end 228 ot the escape lever. By rock- I ing the escape lever, the detent lug ortootl` 226 is released and by the action of the belt 222 on the pulley 2,21 the cam disk Q2 is rotated through a half revolution by which time the appropriate part of the escape lever is in the path of the dog or tooth 291i and in readiness to engage and stop the further revolution. As shown in Fig. 4, a weight.

229 is suspended from an arm of the escape lever which tends to rock it in one direction, and a chain 23() (see Figs. 4. and 5) runs to a crank arm 231 on the frame of the opener l5, to which crank arm a vihratory follower le is attached, which follower by the accumulation of the cotton against it is swung in the direction to rock the escape' lever in opposition to the action of the weight 229 and thereby causing the shifting of the gear connection, while when the supply of cotton diminishes the follower swings, in the opposite direction permitting the weight 225) to rock the. escape lever in the opposite direction to reverse the gear connection, and thus reverse thc direction of revolution of the roller 16. When the cotton is to be delivered to the mixing bins the clutch is operated by hand to determine the direction of revolution on the rollers lf3.

l Tf order to make sure that the cotton will not piss over the rollers 16 when they are reversed\to effect the delivery of cotton to the bins orsmachine, I employ a buffer or retarding device contiguous to each roller 16, which, as I"prefer to construct it, consist of a roller QG above and parallel with each roller 1G with a suliicient space between them to permit the onward passage of cotton when it is not to be delivered. The rollers 16 and 26 are geared together by intcrmeshingI gears 2T so that the. contiguous portions of their peripheries shall travel in the saine direction, that is, either one permitting the onward feed of cotton to pass the. rollers, or a direction opposing the onward feed of the cotton. The use of a revolving roller, as the stopping device, is desirable, because it automatically takes care of itself and requires no shifting of it into and out of position to act as an arresting device or stop.

lilaving thus described my invention what, l claim isl. ln a feeding mechanism, the combina tion of a series,I of traveling aprons spaced apart and contiguous thereto in the path of material passing from a contiguous apron. the travel of said aprons and the rotation of -the| roller in either direction being simultaneous, and means for reversing the rotation of the roller to form a delivery station, inc-.ans for moving said aprons continuously in the same direction, a revc'sely rotatable roller situated where the aprons are spaced apart.

2. lu a feeding mechanism, the combination ot' a series of alining traveling aprons spaced apart to forni a delivery station, a reversely rotatable roller situated where the aprons are spaced apart, and contiguous thereto in the path of material passing from a contiguous apron, the travel of said aprons and ther rotation of the roller in either direction boing simultaneous, and automatic means to change the direction of revolution of Said rollers.

ln a feeding mechanism, the combination of a series ot' alining traveling aprons spaced apart to form a delivery station, a reversely rotatable roller situated whore the aprons are spaced apart, and a second reversely rotatable roller contiguous to the first named roll-er, said rollers being on opposite sides of the path of material passing from one apron to another.

4i. ln a feeding mechanism, the combination of a series of traveling aprons spaced apart to form a delivery station, a reversely rotatable roller situated where the aprons are spaced apart, a second reversely rotatable roller contiguous to the first named roller, said rollers being on opposite sides of the path of material passing from one apron to another, and gearing between said rollers.

ln tcstin'iony that l claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

JAM IGS CHARLES POTTER.

Witnesses:

EARL H. ltoinnrrs, lhivnur LlNcano. 

